OVERFLOWING STREAMS (PART 2)

 

As explained yesterday in Part 1 of this immense round-up, I made an initial cull of 23 songs and videos, most of which surfaced during the last week. I had intended to sift through those more carefully to reach a more manageable number, but due to lack of time I decided to just throw the whole boiling mass at your face. And I actually added another track last night to make the total an even two dozen.

I alphabetized the list by band name and then cut the mass in half, which might have made it a little easier on your senses and your time; we begin today with the letter “I”. Unlike most of my round-ups I also didn’t have time to include the usual links, artwork, or much commentary — mainly just small bits of info about the releases.

 

INGESTED (UK)

Presented through a live video, this first song is a new one destined for eventual appearance on the next Ingested album, projected for release in the fall by Metal Blade. The video for this rager reminds us what live shows used to be like.

 

 

INHUMAN NATURE (UK)

This is the title track from a new EP set for a February 11 release by Church Road Records, from a band who typically embrace old-school thrash and NWOBHM influence. “Under the Boot” will light a fire under your pulse.

 

 

KONVENT (Denmark)

After a very impressive debut album two years ago (Puritan Masochism) these four Danish ladies are returning with a new one named Call Down The Sun (out March 11 via Napalm Records). “Grains” is the first single and video. Like the video, the music is bleak and harrowing but grand, and the vocals are monstrously good. The needling main riff digs under the skin and stays there.

 

 

MAYHEM TRIBUTE

This next video isn’t as new as everything else in today’s collection; it just took me a while to catch up to it. It was filmed in September 2021 during Mayhem‘s induction into Norway’s Rockheim Hall of Fame, and was released in December. In the video, a cover of “Freezing Moon” was performed by a line-up consisting of Gaahl (Gaahls Wyrd, ex-Gorgoroth), Anders Odden (Cadaver), Samoth and Trym Torson (Emperor), and Snorre Ruch (Thorns).

You can see Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, Teloch, and Ghul from Mayhem‘s current line-up sitting on a couch from Mayhem‘s old rehearsal space watching the performance (vocalist Attila Csihar was absent).

 

 

NITE (U.S.)

This is the opening track from Nite‘s new album Voices Of The Kronian Moon (Season of Mist, March 25th). The pairing of glorious heavy metal riffs, entrancing melody, and utterly bestial vocals makes for a very appealing combination.

 

 

PERSEFONE (Andorra)

“Katabasis” comes from Persefone‘s new album metanoia, out February 4th via Napalm Records. Buckle up for a head-spinning thrill ride. Really good video too.

 

 

SANHEDRIN (U.S.)

“Correction” is the opening track from Sanhedrin‘s new album Lights On (Metal Blade, March 4th). It’s a classic burst of very infectious hard rock and heavy metal that gets the heart pounding. Erica Stoltz‘s vocals are great.

 

 

SLUGDGE (UK)

The next song is the one I added last night. It’s a cover of Napalm Death‘s “Twist the Knife Slowly” recorded by Matt Moss from the terrific UK band Slugdge. The original appeared on Fear Emptiness Despair (1994). Prepare for high-octane bludgeoning and burning.

 

 

SULPHUR NURSE (Int’l)

This band is an experimental collaboration among Eeli Helin (Lung Knots, Fawn Limbs), Dan Dolby (Catafalque, Mastiff), and Matt Finney (Clawing, It Only Gets Worse). Their debut album is Roopkund (Tartarus Records, February 25th), and the first preview track has a very interesting name: “Thames Running with Limbs Swathed in Burlap“.

The sounds are equally brain-twisting — a combination of bowel-loosening bass-frequency beats, harrowing howls and wails, vampiric mutterings, and a surrounding sonic miasma that’s like fingernails down the chalkboard but still somehow manages to be hypnotizing. The band do indeed nurse our need for sulphur.

 

 

SYLVAINE (France)

The title of this new song from Sylvaine is a Japanese phrase that is, as described by The Font of All Human Knowledge, a term “for the awareness of impermanence, or transience of things, and both a transient gentle sadness (or wistfulness) at their passing as well as a longer, deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life”.

The music is often a distressing and electrifying rendition of such moods and reflections, much more vibrant than morose, though it does become wistful, especially when the music introduces Sylvaine‘s crystalline singing voice. The drum rhythms (when not hurtling) are highly infectious, as is the riffing.

The album, Nova, will be out on March 4 via Season of Mist.

 

 

TROLLFEST (Norway)

Time for another curveball, which is basically TrollfesT‘s main pitch. They invite you to “Dance Like A Pink Flamingo“.

They entered the song in the Melodi Grand Prix 2022, the Norwegian edition for the Eurovision song contest. The first semi-final was held on January 15th. Sadly, TrollfesT did not win — that honor went to someone named Frode Vassel and his song “Black Flowers”. However, from what I’ve read TrollfesT still have a last chance in February to qualify for the final.

 

 

VÉHÉMENCE (France)

And to close, I’m turning back to more serious matters with “De Feu et d’Acier“, the first advance track from a new Véhémence album named Ordalies, to be released by the Antiq label on March 8th. One of the finest purveyors of what has come to be known as “medieval black metal”, the band have again made a song that’s captivating, time-traveling, and glorious in its soaring and  savage energy.